Come What May
by AFireInTheShadows
Summary: The X-men didn’t fight the Sentinel, other mutants did. Can the X-men keep their anonymity as the world around them slips into chaos? Can they stand to sit on the sidelines as people suffer at the hands of a criminal they could never have imagined?
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 Announcement

the title will probably change...

**Disclaimer:** I don't own X-men or anything, (sadly)

Italics = telepathy

* * *

Dear Diary,

I will always remember the day my life came to an end. I will always remember the terror as every sense of security I had was ripped from beneath my feet. I will always remember the day that mutants were finally exposed to the world. The day my world and my life came crashing down…

* * *

34˚ 05' 13.82″ N 118˚ 11' 40.81″ W. Los Angeles, California USA

MISSION OBJECTIVE: Stop illegal weapon deals at given coordinate. Weapons are extremely dangerous, stolen from a preliminary government testing facility. The man in charge of this crime ring was a mutant capable of cyber manipulation, a level 4 mutant. Highly dangerous and resourceful. Permission to kill if detaining him is impossible.

* * *

The team leader, Psylocke grumbled clearly annoyed at the silent and abandoned warehouse. She flexed her arm and lazily swiped her katana through the empty air smirking at the swishing sound it made.

The mission that initially seemed to promise an intense and glorious battle was falling far short of expectations. The small team had arrived over 45 minutes ago and they hadn't even been shot at once.

She was bored. She scanned the building one last time, not surprised at all to find it still completely void of any life forms.

"East wing is clear. Anyone else find anything?" she said sourly into her communicator.

The response from her teammates was immediate.

"Hell no!" snorted Carol. "This place is a wasteland."

"The west wing is empty as well_."_ lulled Emma Frost, sounding just as bored as Psylocke.

"_Yeah, South gate and back lot are empty too." _came the even, telepathic reply from Chamber.

Psylocke was a soldier, she was brave, loyal and fiercely intelligent and she trusted her new family; her teammates and her boss Adam with her life. So when Adam gave them this mission she accepted the without question, just as she always did.

Adam explained that this mutant was dealing illegal weapons both to various gangs and supposedly to a mutant rebel group. It was an undeniable fact that this man needed to be stopped before he exposed all mutant kind.

Adam said his source was reliable, but when they arrived the warehouse was deserted.

It didn't make sense. They were at the right location but there was no robbery or illegal doings in progress and it looked as if no one had set foot in this place for years.

"Let's meet up in the entrance. Let's get out of here."

* * *

"Northstar?" Come in Northstar. Report, what is your status?" Psylocke asked into her communicator.

There was no answer.

Something didn't feel right. The young Asian woman sighed; she did not like this at all.

Five minutes passed and Psylocke, Ms. Marvel, Emma Frost, Chamber and Sage all stood together waiting for their last team member.

"Is anyone else worried?" Ms. Marvel asked.

"What? About Northstar? Nah. He probably dropped his communicator or something—"

"I really don't like this. Adam was wrong."

"_When has he ever been wrong before?"_ Chamber joked, failing miserably in his attempt to lighten the situation, as they all realized at the same instant what was really bothering them; Adam had never steered them wrong before, something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Suddenly the silence of the abandoned warehouse was shattered by a giant crash. The group of mutants froze.

"Sounds like we found Northstar." Carol laughed.

Several more gigantic crashes rang through the warehouse, one after another.

"I don't think that's Northstar."

"They sound like footsteps."

"Shh." Sage hissed, eyes closed, she was trying to sense what was coming.

The ground was shaking beneath their feet, what ever it was it big. Very, very big.

"Run?" Emma inquired.

"Yeah." Sage answered hastily.

The small group, short one member, turned and fled. But they were unable to get very far.

Out of the shadows stepped the source of the earsplitting crashes. It was an enormous thirty foot tall robot, equipped with various and very dangerous looking guns, all of which were aimed at them.

It looked as though they were going to get the dangerous battle they had been looking for but they weren't so confident anymore. In fact they sincerely doubted that all of them would get out of this alive.

* * *

~2,825 miles away. Bayville, New York ~

"Oh my god! Look!" someone shouted pointing to the big screen television.

Just who had made the announcement was overlooked and forgotten as soon as the rest of the people in the recreation room stared at the television.

A sudden, eerie silence fell over them all. The ball Sam and Bobby had been throwing fell to the ground and rolled ignored into a corner. Jean dropped her book and Jubilee who had been sitting upside down righted herself and moved closer to the TV.

Everyone in the room held his or her breath as they watched in horror as a group of mutants fought a giant robot. The robot shot green blobs that encased several of the mutants. While those captured fought for their freedom another mutant took to the air and flew into the chest of the robot knocking it backwards into a building.

_Professor! Tell everybody to get to the TV room now! There's something you should see._ Jean said telepathically. A few moments later the professor and the rest of the residents of the Xavier Institute filed into the recreation room and settled around the TV.

After seeing what he needed, he turned and left the group of stunned mutants starring blankly at the television. Charles Xavier rolled into his office. He had a phone call to make. _And so it begins_ he thought bitterly as he began to dial the number to an old friend…

* * *

So here's chapter 1, I wrote this years ago so everything (ie grammar, general English) should get better. Please tell me what you think and thanks for reading. Please review


	2. Chapter 2

Come What May Chapter 2

Formally "What if" I am having a horrible time with the title, I apoligize for any confusion but I'll try to stick to this one, but it still doesn't seem right… Oh well, if you have any suggestions please feel free to tell me

So chapter 2 is here. I don't own x-men or anything it all belongs to Marvel.

Some notes: I modified Chamber's character a bit, but he's not a major character so if you know nothing about him, it is not too much of a problem.

* * *

An unsettling and somber mood consumed the Xavier Institute. It dispersed its sense of misery everywhere, not one place was left untouched by its contagious despair.

Bobby the notorious prankster sat with Scott the infamous wet blanket in the recreation room watching the news.

Bobby changed the channel:

Fox news:

"For those of you just tuning in, a surprising turn in events for Las Angeles natives this afternoon. When what seems like a 30 foot tall robot began attacking the city…."

Bobby made an indistinguishable guttural sound. Pushing another button, the TV flashed and a new voice began again, destroying any hope that this was just a nightmare.

NBC News:

"Unavailable for comment is the LAPD, who refuse to release any information about the several people who exemplified abnormal human qualities…"

Another button, another channel, same story,

CNN News

"Commander John Durant will not comment about military involvement in this situation, whether these super powered people or the robot is under government control remains unclear at this time…"

Numbly Bobby pushed again,

CBC News

"The world is in shock today as video clips capture a small group of super powered individuals. Is this a giant American hoax? Or are there aliens among us? The answer could be anything at this moment. This is unlike anything the world has ever seen before."

ABC News:

"The gigantic robot seemed to have immobilized the half dozen or so super powered individuals, they are now being taken into government custody…"

"Bobby! Will you pick one already!" snapped Scott.

Scott, apparently changing his mind mid-huff and proceeded to reach across the younger boy and snatch the remote. Changing it and keeping it at Fox News.

"Jeez. Sorry. Nervous habit." The defeated Bobby muttered.

* * *

Kitty got up and stalked away from the television and walked down the hall. Up ahead she could see Storm, followed closely by Beast hurry into the Professor's ornate office.

She slowed her pace and slipped in to the room next to the Professor's office. It was the library, generally one of the more unvisited rooms at the school. She headed to the far corner where every student knew there was an air register that occasionally served as a perfect window into a private conversation.

"Whoa Whoa, hold up Chuck. What are you expecting? Witch hunts? Lynching?" Logan asked in response to a statement Kitty had just missed.

"Yes Charles, do you believe that the children are in that much danger? We always expected a slight…ruckus when mutants were finally exposed, but I can not imagine that things will get that bad." Ororo said elegantly.

"One moment, if you don't mind, we seem to have an eavesdropper in our midst."

_Kitty,_ the professor said telepathically, _Please return to the other students, this is a private conversation. Please do not worry we have your best interests at heart. We will not let anything happen to you or any of the other students._

The telepathic message was curt but kind as well as making it very clear that Kitty was not to question.

She stood and went to her room that she shared with Rogue. She picked up her cell phone and then put it back. Sighing she pulled her diary from underneath her pillow and began to write.

* * *

In his office Charles Xavier sat starring at his cohorts. "I did not plan for this day, to come quite so soon--"

"We had no power over the situation." Storm interrupted.

"I know. I was just too naïve in thinking this secret would stay that way until we and the world were ready."

Logan spoke from the corner "Right now I think the most important thing to do is rescue those captured mutants, there is no telling what the government will do to them. I have been captured and tested, and it is not something I would wish on anyone."

The Professor nodded grimly, knowing full well the gruesome details of the "tests" that Logan spoke of. "Yes I agree. But I believe our first task is maintaining our students safety. I will not allow any of them to participate in the rescue. Right now they are safest if they stay in the dark."

"Well Storm, Beast and I are a pretty pitiful rescue team."

Again the Professor nodded, although this time with a pensive look in his eyes. "Yes, but perhaps we shall gain some more recruits."

Ororo raised an eyebrow. "Professor?"

He sighed, "I made some calls. We are not alone in this situation. I thought it would be imperative to include the others…"

* * *

Psylocke's mind ached as consciousness slowly returned to her already war torn body. With an effort that seemed to mirror running several miles she was able to crack open her eyelids that felt weighted down with lead.

She tried to sit up. Realizing at once it was impossible because she was paralyzed. All she could do was open her eyes and stare at the bleach white ceiling above her.

Breathing heavily she could tell there was a breathing apparatus jammed down her throat causing it to ache constantly. She desperately needed water.

She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves, a trick Sage had taught her. _You cannot think clearly if fear consumes your heart. _

She could not move but she could still hear. She strained her ears listening for any bit of information relating to her team and their location. She noticed at once she did not have to strain at all. The room around her was extremely loud.

Many voices overlapped, mostly male, focusing in on one in particular, "Subject 4416, is female appearing to be in her early twenties, weight 110 pounds, hair blond, eyes blue…"

Carol! Psylocke recognized. She was here, that had to mean that the others, Sage, Chamber, Northstar and Emma were here too. But where?

But before she could come up with an escape plan she saw an arm reach across her body, for what she could only assume was an IV bag.

Everything went dark, she returned to sleep's comforting embrace.

Again she awoke but this time it was to screams of pure anguish. Her eyes flew open and searched wildly for the source, not even paying attention to the fact that the drugs keeping her paralyzed had worn off, at least enough to give her the ability to turn her neck, giving her a better view of the room and those who occupied it.

The screams she evaluated were from Chamber, and were not actual screams but mental telepathic ones, for Chamber could not speak. Psylocke could see Chamber across the white walled room. His lanky body stripped of his usual black attire was strapped down to a metal table looking as cold as it did uncomfortable. There were three men in white coats around fumbling around him; they were hooking him up to something.

A breathing tube. She recognized. Oh shit. She understood Chamber's screams, they were not of pain, those would come later, these were of warning. Chamber didn't need to be hooked to the respirator because he did not breath, Chamber had no lungs….

Psylocke attempted to scream, to warn the men who unknowingly were putting themselves and the rest of them in terrible danger. They were playing with the equivalent of an incredibly dangerous bomb. Her warning failed deep in her throat. The paralysis had not worn off entirely. She watched in horror as one of the doctor's pried open Chamber's mouth.

The explosion was like nothing Psylocke had ever seen from Chamber. Chamber who normally maintained such a level of self-control over his powers even while fighting was unable to stop the deadly blast. Ironically the drugs the doctors had given to sedate him, with the intent of ensuring them a safe working space, had in fact caused their death.

The wave of psionic energy escaped its prison with the force of a cannon, knocking the surrounding doctors away, killing them instantly. The blast continued right to and through the ceiling causing an avalanche of cement, plaster, metal and debris crashing down burying the captive mutants as well as their captors.

* * *

Magneto slammed his clenched fist down on his sparsely cluttered desk, leaving a small dent and making Pietro- who had been standing in the corner of the office watching the news; jump a good six inches into the air.

"That goddamn traitor!" Magneto growled to himself, either unaware or uncaring that his son was still in the room.

A moment later, Pietro spoke "Father? --"

Magneto whirled around fuming, "This is a valuable lesson Quicksilver, NEVER trust a human."

His son nodded his pale skin matching his impossibly pale hair; he had no idea what his father was speaking about. "Assemble the team." Magneto barked. Always with the orders, Pietro gave a mental sigh. Half second later Pietro was gone and Magneto stood alone pondering the quickest and most efficiently to kill someone while inflicting as much pain as possible.

* * *

Review Please


	3. Chapter 3

Come What May: Chapter 3

I also apologize for the mangling of all accents; I'm not going to put much effort into it, anyways because they (especially Piotr's) are incredibly hard to write and to read.

* * *

~Saturday~

"Vacation? What do you mean vacation?" The mutant known as Pyro blanched.

"I mean--," Magneto repeated slowly, "Go away, I'm leaving on private matters and will return in three days. Go do what you wish but be back at base when I return. Magneto stormed out sending ripples through the metal base walls.

"Not much of a vacation, a flight back to Australia is fourteen hours!"

Pyro's comment was meant with expressions of surprise and in Remy's case amusement, "That is if I was allowed to go back to Australia" Pyro backtracked grinning sheepishly.

"So three days of porn and junk food?" Remy joked.

"Yup." said Pyro with complete honesty.

"What 'bout you Petey?" Remy turned asking the quiet Russian.

"I 'ave novere to go. I vill stay here with John and make sure he does not burn down the base."

Remy nodded, he did not need to use his empathy to know this was not a good time to poke fun at the big guy.

"Okay well auvior homes, I'm off to the Big Apple."

* * *

The stale dread of Monday filled the kitchen as the latecomers trudged into the dinning room. And this Monday was particularly different; every teenager shared a mutual panic. It was the first school day after the exposure of mutants.

It was breakfast at the Xavier Institute. It was a unique time that any anthropologist or sociologist would have found fascinating. It was, as it was everyday, a chaotic mass of movement, making the mansion's Victorian kitchen resemble a beehive.

A small line headed by Rogue formed at the coffee maker, watching intently as it finished brewing.

Jean, who was the only student who seemed to be a morning person, was chatting excitedly to Scott, who, Rogue noted, seemed to be half asleep.

Evan and Ray almost collided en route to the fridge.

Jamie fumbled and dropped his strawberry pop tart to the tiled floor, where it was promptly step on by a frantic Kitty. Kitty never came down until she was completely ready, so the students who were awake enough to notice were shocked to see her hair-dripping wet. Her hair dryer had broken, and she was on a desperate quest to find one.

Sam stood at the microwave, mentally complaining that instant oatmeal was false advertisement.

"Alright, I'm heading out! Anyone want a ride?" Scott called checking his watch.

Jean nodded, and several unenthused hands also rose into the air.

"Wait for me!" Kurt called.

"We are not stopping for a breakfast burger." Scott said sternly but with a surprising trace of humor.

Bobby and Amara claimed the remaining seats in Scott's convertible.

Rogue coffee in hand prepared as she did everyday to walk to school. She turned down rides everyday always preferring to walk. The morning was cool and a light mist rose of the neighboring ocean, it gave her a chance to relax, think and to quiet down the voices that constantly prattled away in her mind.

* * *

As eight o'clock drew closer the Xavier Institute became more and more deserted. As the kids left for school the adults emerged and headed for the kitchen for their own breakfast.

Logan grumbled as he put on another pot of coffee, 'how many times do I have to ask them to start another pot before they go?'

"Pietro? P-ie-tro?!?" John called, as if calling to a child. He bounded down the hallway toward their newest team member's room. "Pee—a-tro?" he called again before barging into the room, which he noted sourly, was larger than his room. "I need to borrow your copy of Moulin Rouge."

The room was empty, "Hey Speedy? You home?"

No answer.

John saw that the closet door was ajar, "Are you in the closet?" he began to laugh at his joke, "Duh." What straight man has hair like Pietro?

The pyromaniac opened the door to find in it not only Pietro-less but his uniform and mission gear were also absent.

"Okay I tried to be polite," he told himself as he stalked to the speed demons bookshelf, he pulled Moulin Rouge from the shelf, knocking several other DVDs to the floor.

Pyro movie in hand left the room.

* * *

The hallway buzzed excitedly as it did every time something scandalous happened. It reminded Kitty of the time a freshmen caught Principal Kelly macking with a substitute teacher in the library.

But that happened last year; they were talking about something else. They were taking LA and the mutants.

Although this "buzz" had a new accusatory tone that she knew was directed at everyone. No one was spared from sidelong glances and glares; students were beginning their very own which hunt.

Kitty smiled at Kurt and headed to her group of friends who had gathered at a small cluster of lockers.

"Hey Sara, Amy. What's up?" Kitty chirped as she opened her locker and removed her favorite lip-gloss.

"We were just talking about the super powered freaks in LA." Amy blurted.

Kitty smacked her lips and stared satisfactorily at her locker mirror. "Yeah, that was so weird, I wonder if there are any other of them around here." Kitty pulled out her AP calc book, and Sara cracked a smile.

"You are such a nerd." Sara joked nodding to the AP calc book.

"Yeah I know. I wish I was in regular math, there are absolutely no attractive guys in AP."

"Yup, that's cause they're all in algebra 2 with me!"

"Yeah Kitty's right, there's got to be more of the super powered people," Amy said returning to the mutant subject. "I wonder who?"

Kitty snorted "Duncan Matthews? How else would a goon like that be popular?" she joked but inwardly she cringed, by taking the offense she had done something awful, she had started a rumor, a false one just to protect herself.

"What about that huge kid Fred?"

"I don't think being morbidly obese counts as a superpower."

The bell rang.

* * *

"Kurt!" Amanda called. Checking her watch as she caught up to her usually incredibly tardy boyfriend. "Holy hell, you're on time. What's wrong?" She joked. Then in an undertone "How you holding up?"

"Alright." Kurt sighed and placed his arm around her waist and kissed her gently on the temple. "Sorry I didn't return your call yesterday."

"It's no problem. I understand."

Together they walked linked down the crowded hall.

They finally separated and walked into their shared first hour. AP US history, they took their seats giving each other one last glance before their attention was forcibly directed toward the overworked and underpaid teacher.

There was a pop quiz; the name, order, term years and party of every US president up to Nixon. Kurt didn't think he had done very well, "I am not even from this damn country." He rationalized quietly.

"Hey, Kurt." Tom White, who sat in front of him, turned around in his seat, "What's the story of that school of yours?"

"It's a school for gifted students." Kurt answered immediately.

"But what kind of gifted?"

Kurt was impressed at the normalness of his voice as he answered, "Umm, some are incredibly intelligent, like Kitty, she's a sophomore and top student in AP Calc, others have incredibly important or powerful parents, so I guess that counts as the gift of money. Rahne is an amazing dancer and Rogue is a wonderful artist."

"And you?"

"Important parents. And I am a foreigner, it makes the school look better to have such a diverse student body."

Tom turned forward when the teacher glared at the private conversation going on. Kurt immediately felt relieved but somehow he could tell that Tom was not completely satisfied with his answer.

* * *

Piotr's phone buzzed suddenly against his leg causing him to make a rather ugly dark red stripe across what should have been a beautiful depiction of sunset over St. Petersburg.

Cursing in his native tongue, he reached for his cell.

He had a voicemail.

He hastily pressed the button, if John locked himself in the bathroom again, he thought, _I will leave him there._

But it was not John's voice. The quality of the message was poor but it was unmistakably from Pietro.

"This is Quicksilver something is wrong. My father is missing."

"Followed him to Los------------" The connection broke and static clouded Pietro's next words. Piotr hadn't been aware that Quicksilver had left.

"Ambushed--------"

"Think---captured" Magneto captured?

"Now following me-------"

Next all Piotr could hear was the dial tone.

He shut his phone and put the cap on his paint. He stood and went to find John.

* * *

With coffee in hand Logan answered the professor's request to come to his office. Logan was not surprised to find the room already occupied by the rest of the senior team.

"Come in Logan" Charles gestured elegantly to the only remaining empty seat.

"Is this about the mission? Why haven't we gone yet Chuck? The mutants could be dead already."

"They are still alive. I can tell that much. But something is keeping any information about their location is being kept from me."

"Can't we just go check out the scene of the crime? And see where it leads us?"

"Logan be rational, the scene is crawling with reporters and army personal. Plus they have been moved already California is a very large place where would you start?" Beast who was clearly exhausted answered.

Storm picked up, "Charles and Beast are working on it, they have a list of government holdings, only three of them have the proper medical facilities. We are just waiting on the electric records to confirm which one is currently being used."

"Logan there is someone at the door, will you go let our guests in?"

The doorbell rang echoing loudly throughout the first floor. Logan who was very used to this nodded and made for the monitor by the front door, to see who was waiting at the gate.

* * *

The two men who waited couldn't be more different. The larger one stood erect like a soldier waiting patiently for orders. The other one was small and scrawny with orange hair and appeared nervous and very suspicious.

Logan stared at the monitor and growled as recognition set in.

'It's okay. Logan, they are here to talk. Let them in.' Charles assured him.

* * *

"Petey? Why are we here?"

"Because if Magneto is captured, we have nowhere to go and no chance of rescue."

"Can't we just leave him?"

"Nein."

"Why? Then we'd be free-ish?"

"You know why that is impossible."

Pyro remembered and nodded solemnly cringing that he had unwittingly forced his friend to think of such painful memories. "But why the X-men? They're so lame! With those matching uniforms which look so cheap, they are soo just cheap spandex-"

"John be quiet." The light on the monitor changed from red to green and the gate swung open.

"Okay."

* * *

Logan watched intently as the two men returned to their vehicle and drove the remainder of the driveway parking right in front of the school's double doors.

After they clambered out, they stood for a moment awkwardly Piotr reached out a hand to shake the Wolverine. Logan did not move to take it. Piotr let his hand drop to his side and cleared his throat. Pyro who was currently trying to pull a loose thread from his sweater and only succeeded in making the thread longer and making a small whole in it. He had this frustrated look on his face and he reached for his lighter, most likely to burn the thread off, but before he could do anything the gigantic Russian smacked the lighter to the ground. Pyro looked as if Piotr had just smacked a puppy.

"We are here to talk to Professor Xavier. Is he in?"

"Yup. Follow me. And no funny business. Got it?" He snarled.

John looked around in awe at the beautiful foyer comparing it to the drab metal walls of the base he had been forced to call home for the last three years.

The hallway was long, carpeted and decorated with art that seemed far too expensive (and flammable) to be in a school.

The short hairy X-men opened a door and beckoned them inside and closed it loudly behind them.

* * *

Pyro looked around at the oldest x-men members, they looked strange in normal clothes but they all still managed to look intimidating.

John was relieved that Piotr was going to do all of the talking.

"Sir, I believe that Magneto has been captured. We need to get him back and we have no where else to turn."

"May I probe your mind to see what you know?"

Piotr nodded.

A moment later and the Professor spoke again.

"I think our two missions are related." Charles backtracked, "Magneto went to California, his son followed him. It sounds as though Erik has been betrayed by someone. I think we will find Magneto when we find the other captured mutants. Would you two like to accompany our rescue mission?"

Piotr nodded.

* * *

Three hours later Storm, Logan, Beast, Pyro and Colossus sat strapped in the X-Jet on their way to Nevada. The information regarding the government power usage came through and was cross referenced with the call received from Pietro.

John leaned across the aisle and poked the airsick Colossus.

"Did you know his name was Erik?"

He snorted, "Nope"

* * *

They reached Nevada three hours later. By then dusk had fallen which in addition to the clouds provided by Storm provided excellent cover.

The building half of which seemed completely decimated was much larger than they could have anticipated.

The group of former enemies stood in front of a highly charged and intently monitored fence.

"Any ideas?" Beast asked.

"Just one." Storm answered hoisting up Logan without any warning and flew over the fence dropping him before returning for Beast. Colossus following Storm's lead grabbed Pyro and threw him high in the air and over the fence where he crashed to the ground rather ungracefully.

"I would move if I was you." Colossus bent low crouching and then proceeded to launch himself over.

"We will need to move. Someone will have heard that." Beast advised as the ground trembled under Piotirs enormous weight.

* * *

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